cannabisnews.com: Eulogy For Jim Rosenfield





Eulogy For Jim Rosenfield
Posted by FoM on December 24, 1999 at 11:49:56 PT
DrugSense Weekly December 24, 1999 #129
Source: DrugSense
We at DrugSense would like to wish the very best holiday season to all the dedicated and hard working supporters of the reform movement and the happiest and most productive imaginable of new years. 
Unfortunately one of our hard working supporters has passed on and we will have to continue the fight without him. Jim Rosenfield passed away last Friday. Below are just three of the scores of eulogies we have received. Jim's hard work on behalf of reform will be missed. The Passing Of A Warrior, Jim RosenfieldActivist, friend and computer wiz kid, Jim Rosenfield, passed away Friday, December 17th., of a heart attack. His wife, Victoria says that he died happy; he was doing the thing he loved most, ballroom dancing. Jim was an relentless media hound; involved with, and founding many political organizations and media watch groups including, Media Awareness Project (MAP), She Who Remembers, Cannabis Freedom Fund (PAC), ACLU, DRCNet, NORML, November Coalition, American Medical Marijuana Association (AMMA) and others.He Will Be Deeply Missed.Jim leaves behind his wife Victoria; two young children, Ariel and Richard; and his best buddy, "Stash" the dog.Tim PerkinsJim Rosenfield was a force for change. As a committed activist, Jim set about each project with a logical mind and dogged determination. He enjoyed verbal sparring matches with his colleagues, and was not always a diplomat when he chose words. But Jim was a visionary who understood the importance of the Internet as a tool for social reform long before most of us. I remember how he chided me into getting my first email account in 1994, then helped me get over one hurdle after another until I was communicating on-line. He encouraged me to develop the original Human Rights and the Drug War website in 1997, he helped me with the HTML code, tweaking those little irregularities I still don't have the hang of, and he helped me upload the site. He made sure it was done right. And I always knew that if I got stuck, I could call Jim and he'd plug along with me until we had it worked out. That is just one reason why I'll miss Jim. His efforts to bring people to work together, his passionate care for the prisoners of the Drug War, his outrage at DARE's lies, his determination to force the program out of schools, and his readiness to lend a hand: these are a few more. Each of us has our own personal reason for offering our respects here today, because that's what Jim was: an authentic person who cared about others.I feel honored to have worked with a person the caliber of Jim Rosenfield. I am still in shock at his sudden passage, but recognize that our greatest tribute to Jim is not to stop and mourn his passage. It is our privilege to pick up the banners he carried and move forward under them. And so I ask you all to join me now in making a commitment to building a fitting memorial for Jim Rosenfield: a lasting and honorable Drug Peace. Thank you. Chris Conrad Jim's death was a real shock to me; he was one of the people who inspired me to become active on the Internet on behalf of drug policy reform; sadly, I met him only once- at the 1995 Santa Monica meeting of DPF. A rump meeting of electronic activists at which Jim played a major role radicalized me in terms of wanting to do something constructive for drug policy reform. Although I was never to see Jim again, I was constantly in his presence electronically and sometimes on the phone- debating with him, applauding him and occasionally disagreeing with him. To say that he had enormous energy and dedication is gross understatement; in addition to his own website, he was a major presence in terms of covering the LA media and he was constantly goading all of us to do that little bit extra. He will be greatly missed, and will never be completely replaced. My heart goes out to his family in this tragic hour. Jim will always be remembered by all of us who were inspired by him.Tom O'ConnellFeature Article: Eulogy for Jim Rosenfield By Tim Perkins, Chris Conrad, and Tom O'ConnellClick the link to read all of DrugSense Weeklys Update News:DrugSense Weekly December 24, 1999 #129http://www.drugsense.org/dsw/1999/ds99.n129.html
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